Miss You
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: AU wherein Cora lives and is the mother Regina always wanted. One day Regina is riding her horse and falls suffering short term memory loss. Regina is scared thinking Cora hasn't got her heart. Henry tries to help his Mum and moves back in. He and Cora work together to prove Cora isn't the mother Regina remembers anymore - based on a prompt from Regina fan


_AU wherein Cora lives and is the mother Regina always wanted. Their relationship is really good. One day Regina is riding her horse and falls suffering short term memory loss. Cora goes to Regina but Regina is scared of her thinking Cora hasn't got her heart. Henry tries to help his Mum and moves back in. He and Cora work together to prove Cora isn't the mother Regina remembers anymore - Regina fan_

_Thanks for the prompt. I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you all enjoy :) _

"Good morning darling," Cora says as her daughter walks into the kitchen. Over the past few months their relationship has grown remarkably. Since getting her heart back and choosing to leave it where it belongs she's learned how to be the mother she should have been all those years ago – the mother Regina deserves. It's taken a lot of small steps but they're in a great place now and Cora would do anything for her.

"Morning Mom," Regina replies with a warm smile as she grabs a quick cup of coffee. It's taken her a long time to accept her Mom and trust her again but she does. She wants them to stay in the good place they're in now – the place where she now feels like she finally has a mother.

It's taken a long time to work her way up to the offer she's about to make. She's been avoiding it since her associations with her mother and the stables are all bad. Her mother was never interested in her riding before. The only thing Cora felt it was good for was adding something to her list of skills for being a queen. She hopes things are different now.

Riding is after all one of her greatest joys in life. For a long time she avoided it. It brought up far too many bad memories but after a lot of therapy and time she was able to go back to the stables. She started small just stroking and grooming the horses before riding again. Now she loves it again. She always feels free and happy when she rides and given all the progress they've made lately she wants to share it with her mother.

"I'm going out for a ride this morning if you'd like to come," Regina offers.

Cora blinks taken aback by the offer, "Really?"

Regina nods, "Sure."

"I don't know how to ride but I could watch?" Cora suggests with a smile at her daughter's offer. It's not one she ever expected but it's also not one she's going to say no to. She never took the time to watch Regina ride before and she wants to make up for it now. She's glad that Regina even wants to share this with her. A few months ago they couldn't even share coffee together and now, well now she's going to watch her daughter ride a horse.

* * *

><p>The wind whips in her hair as she leans against the fence. She wishes she had watched Regina ride horses before. Cora can't help but think of the many moments she dismissed her younger daughter's requests to watch her ride or the ways she belittled this hobby of Regina's. Her heart aches from the pain she caused her own child.<p>

As she watches Regina race around the paddock Cora knows this won't be the last time she accompanies her daughter to the stables. She should have done this more in the past but she can't go back and make that happen. She can however enjoy this present and the future.

Her daughter looks free and happy, more than Cora has ever seen her besides the time Regina spends with Henry. It's nice to see Regina smile like this. Regina trots past her before pulling up to a stop. "What did you think?" she asks as she strokes her hands through the horse's mane.

Cora smiles at her, "I think it was wonderful."

Regina grins at her, "Do you want to try?"

"Not yet," Cora replies.

Regina nods, "Well when you're ready I'll have to teach you. Until then I'm just going to go round a few more times."

"Be careful," Cora says, "And have fun."

Regina rolls her eyes, "I will." At that Regina takes off in a gallop gathering speed as she guides the horse round the course. She grins as she makes the horse go faster. She doesn't notice the low branch nor does she see the ground rushing towards her as the branch smacks her in the face and knocks her down.

Her mother does.

"Regina!" she cries out before climbing over the fence and running to Regina's side. Her knees scrape along the floor gathering dust as she slides down next to her daughter. Blood runs down the side of Regina's face and Cora can't help the panicked sob that escapes her lips as her daughter remains unconscious.

"Come on honey, wake up," she whispers cradling her daughter. Regina still doesn't move. With one hand she holds onto Regina, with the other she dials the ambulance and prays they come soon.

* * *

><p>"Is she okay?" Cora asks as she wrings her hands nervously. The doctor frowns, "We've given her stitches and she'll more than likely have a concussion. I'm recommending no work for at least three days and to take it easy. There may be some short term memory loss but we won't know anything until she wakes up."<p>

Cora nods thanking him before walking into the hospital room. She sighs sadly at the sight of her daughter in the hospital bed, bandaged and sleeping. She reaches for Regina's hand, "Wake up soon sweetie," she whispers holding that hand close to her heart. When Regina was hurt as a child Cora was never there. Once she regained her heart she vowed things would be different and they will be. This time she'll be there no matter what.

Regina grumbles before stirring. Cora smiles, "Hey honey."

Regina blinks her eyes open before realising who's standing over her. She pulls her hand away before moving to scoot away. It hurts to do so but she can't help but panic.

Cora's smile drops as she sees the look in her daughter's eyes. It's one of fear and terror and she knows she's the one who put it there. "Regina I," she begins but her daughter cuts her off.

"I'm sorry M-mother," Regina says.

"What for?"

"Getting hurt. It won't happen again I promise," it's a parroted line and Regina's voice wavers against her will.

Cora frowns trying to hide her tears as she steps away from Regina to give her space, "Regina honey it's okay. I'm not what you remember. I have my heart now."

Regina shakes her head, "I don't believe you."

Cora sighs, "I know you don't but I do have it and I'm not the same mother you remember."

"I won't let you trick me again. You pretended you were different before but all you wanted was to try and kill Rumple."

Cora gasps as she realises that that is the last thing Regina remembers of her. Her heart aches in her chest at the loss of the daughter she's connected with over the past few months. They've come so far and now they're back at square one.

She won't give up though, not on her daughter. She can't give up.

"Regina I know you don't remember me but that just means it's my job to prove to you what you forgot. I'm going to be there for you. I'll help you. I'll never give up on you."

Regina eyes her warily, "We'll see."

* * *

><p>Regina returns home the next morning and gives Cora a wide berth clearly trying to avoid her. It breaks Cora's heart but she has to stay there. She needs to find a way to help her remember. The first morning back she gets help in the form of Henry. He arrives as soon as Regina returns from the hospital telling them both that he will be staying there until he's sure his Mom is okay.<p>

"I'm fine Henry I promise," Regina replies, "And it's Emma's day."

Cora frowns, "You remember that?"

Regina nods before frowning at her mother, "I remember everything ….. just not you or who you claim to be now."

Cora knows she needs to be strong but in that moment her breath escapes her and she can feel the tears threatening to spill over. She clasps a hand over her mouth before exiting the kitchen. She hurries to her room before sliding down onto the floor leaning against the bed with a sob.

_Everything but you_.

The door opens again a few moments later and Henry pokes his head in before sitting down beside her, "Are you okay Grandma?"

She shakes her head, "Things were so good between us Henry and now I've lost her."

He shakes his head, "You just think you have. She'll remember one day and until then we'll just have to help her see that you're different."

"We?"

He nods, "Yep. She's my Mom and she loves you. I've seen how happy she's been lately now she has the mother she always wanted, now she has you and you have her heart and I want her to have that back."

Cora smiles, "You're a good kid Henry. How did you get so smart?"

He shrugs, "I've seen a lot of weird stuff in Storybrooke but no matter what happens I know family never gives up on each other."

She nods, "Never," she promises.

* * *

><p>They start by showing Regina photos. Over the past few months they've amassed nearly a whole album full of pictures of various family outings and events ranging from Thanksgiving at Snow and Charming's to the lazy Sunday afternoon Regina taught Cora how to take selfies.<p>

Regina flips through them all as Henry and Cora tell her the stories to go with the photos. She listens and looks but there's no recognition. Cora holds all of these memories dear to her heart and she hopes that Regina remembers them soon too. She smiles warmly at a photo of Henry, Regina and herself at Storybrooke Park taken during a family picnic.

"Anything Mom?" Henry asks hopefully.

Regina shakes her head, "I want to," she tells her son, "They're just not there. I don't remember honey I'm sorry."

He sighs, "It's okay Mom. We'll help you, me and Grandma I mean."

Regina turns to her son then to her mother, "You call her Grandma?"

He nods, "Yep. We're all family now and I don't care how long it takes, I know you'll remember. I believe it and I'll never stop trying until you do."

"Me neither," Cora promises. She places her hand on top of Regina's and for the first time in months her daughter flinches away. Cora retracts her hand as if burned and frowns at the loss of something that might seem small but for them was so big.

* * *

><p>They try everything over the next few days. The three of them go out to lunch and share dinner, with Henry and Cora peppering the meals with as many stories as possible in the hopes of triggering a memory in Regina's mind. It doesn't work and with each minute Cora misses her daughter.<p>

She misses the way they shared coffee and chatted in the mornings. She misses the way Regina would smile so easily at her. She misses the way Regina looked at her with trust rather than with fear and suspicion as she does now.

Henry helps. He tells Regina everything and anything and Cora wonders where he gets such faith. She wishes she shared it but in some moments she can't help but wonder if Regina will ever remember.

Cora does all she can.

She makes Regina her favourite coffee. She puts breakfast on the table every morning and tries to get Regina to talk to her. She brings her lunch every day because she knows her daughter gets so wrapped up in work that she forgets to eat. She carries on doing all of the little things she did before just because she knows they help Regina.

They're small things but they're the ways she shows her daughter she's thinking about her because she does and every moment she spends with Regina she tries to make sure she knows it.

She's there and that's what matters.

She does her best to be there even when Regina pushes away.

* * *

><p>The day Cora's been dreading arrives a full two weeks after Regina's fall. Her daughter hurries into the kitchen ignoring the breakfast Cora has laid out for her. "I'm going out horse-riding today mother," Regina says curtly and Cora freezes. She sees the look in Regina's eyes and knows that Regina thinks she knows why Cora doesn't want her to go. The mother she remembers never wanted her to ride because she wanted to deprive her daughter of something that she saw a distraction.<p>

Today Cora doesn't want her to go because all she can think of is the last time.

"Regina honey," Cora tries but her daughter is already heading out of the door and to the stables. Cora hurries after her following Regina all the way there. By the time she arrives Regina's already atop of a horse. Her daughter sighs seeing her mother approach.

"What do you want?"

"Just be careful," Cora says, "Please Regina just be careful."

Regina rolls her eyes like she did that day, "I know how to ride a horse mother." With that she trots away and Cora is left with a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach. She keeps her eyes on her daughter and her heart drops when she sees that goddamn branch and Regina heading straight towards it again.

"Regina!" she cries out.

This time Regina stops.

Cora leaps over the fence as her daughter climbs down from her horse and smiles at her. It's a smile Cora has missed so much during the past few days. "Regina?" she asks tentatively.

"Mom," Regina replies and Cora swears she has never been so happy to hear that word. That one word fills her heart with joy and she can't help but smile, "Do you remember?"

"I do, I remember everything, including you," Regina says before hugging her mother tightly, "I missed you."

"Nowhere near as much as I missed you," Cora replies as she holds her daughter close.

_Thanks for reading :) _


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